This Nintendo Power Letter Predicted Super Mario Galaxy and Other Gaming Milestones

found peak popularity, readers would write in with ideas, critique, and passion for the past, [...]

(Photo: Nintendo)

The imaginations of youth know no bounds, and this particular eager gamer from 1991 had an idea that would some day come to fruition -- partially, at least. Back when Nintendo Power (and magazines in general) found peak popularity, readers would write in with ideas, critique, and passion for the past, present, and future of gaming.

Such was the case when Jimmy Peterford, a resident of Glen Cove, New York and avid reader of Nintendo Power. Peterford wrote in with some pretty big ideas for the future, but one held true - the naming of a future Super Mario game that went on to take the world by storm on a popular new console. While detailing his ideas for an all-new game system and controller, Peterford noted that his console's flagship game would be the 24th installment of the Super Mario franchise, titled Super Mario Galaxy.

Here's what Peterford wrote:

"My fantasy game system would be a 512-bit system. It could display 27,876,992 colors at one time and could play any game from any video game system that was or ever will be! There would be a miniature band inside that knew how to play any song! You could even buy a special chip that would allow you to make your own games for it! What game would come with the system, you ask: Super Mario Galaxy."

Peterford goes on to state that his system would come with a whopping total of six controllers that each had 27 buttons. He named it the Raw Power System and set the price at an incredibly modest (for our era, at least) $259.95. While those controllers and that price seem pretty unrealistic right now, a few elements from Peterford's dream system have come to life in some form or another: the Nintendo Wii comes with 512 MB built-in flash memory, and while the Switch can't play every game ever, the Virtual Console opens up the playing field for classic favorites and other titles.

Not a bad prediction for something that came in the form of a fan letter.

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